The present invention relates to a p-n junction type solid-state element for use, for instance, in a film-shaped solar battery, and a method of producing the same.
A typical conventional method of producing a solid-state element having p-n junction type semiconductors for use in a solar battery forms a solid-state element by polishing a single-crystal bulk of, for instance, silicon (Si), and therefore it is very difficult to form a film the thickness of which is on the order of microns. Even if such a film can be produced, the amount of material that can be utilized will be as low as several percent or less of the total.
Moreover, even if the conventional vacuum deposition process or sputtering process is employed to produce such a thin film, it can not be expected to produce a high-quality stable p-n junction type film excellent in crystallinity and suitable for use in a solar battery, and therefore it has problems of being accompanied with poor productivity, poor economy, and expensiveness.
On the other hand, there has been an increasing demand for a solid-state element for use in a solar battery or the like, which is thin-film-shaped, light in weight and easy to transport.
Therefore, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a high-quality p-n junction type solid-state element which can meet the above-mentioned demand and is high in productivity, and to provide a method of producing the same.